Member Article

Women of Cumbria to receive health and wellbeing boost with Coalfields cash

Thanks to almost £10,000 in funding from the Coalfields Community Investment Programme, delivered by the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, Together We CIC will launch a new 12-week weight loss programme.

The non-for-profit organisation has developed a new project that will benefit 40 women who will be offered a place on a bespoke health and wellbeing education programme.

Set to help communities within Cumbria, the course is targeted at reducing weight by combining both physical activity and psychological education based on wellbeing, routine and nutrition.

Samantha Joughlin, Manager of Together We CIC, comments: “Together We CIC’s focus is on empowering women through the improvement of their health and wellbeing, whether it is supporting them through mental health issues or helping them reach their fitness goals.

“The challenge we have is that our capacity to offer these important services can often be strained, meaning that the very people we are trying to help will be at risk of missing out on some positive and fulfilling opportunities.

“Thanks to the CCIP funding, we can now provide a dedicated fitness programme that will not only help women become more physically active, but also allow them to learn new skills that can be transferred into all aspects of their lives.”

Chairman of the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, Peter McNestry, comments: “As many former mining communities still remain among the 30% most deprived areas in the UK, the health and wellbeing of residents continues to be a major concern to us.

“As well as supporting initiatives that promote economic growth, we also recognise the importance of addressing the social issues within these communities. Not only does exercise improve someone’s physical health but it also positively impacts their mental wellbeing.

“We are pleased to be in a position whereby we can offer funding to support organisations such as Together We CIC because we know how important these groups are to the communities. This group of women, as just one example, will have the chance to become healthier and happier whilst engaging and supporting people they wouldn’t usually meet. This is what being part of a community is all about.”

Delivered by the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, the Coalfields Community Investment Programme supports organisations and programmes of activity that meet with three key criteria; to address skills, employment or health and wellbeing.

The Coalfields Regeneration Trust was established in 1999 and is the only organisation dedicated to supporting former mining neighbourhoods.

Over the years more than 2m people have benefited from support delivered by the organisation. More than 25,500 people have been supported into work, 5,500 jobs have been created or safeguarded, 1.3m people have received the necessary support to help improve their skills and gain qualifications and over 250,000 people have participated in activities that have improve their health.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Nick Hill .